|
Sharks' early exit could set stage for major makeover in San Jose |
|
|
|
|
|
The San Jose Sharks followed up their first-ever Stanley Cup Final appearance last spring with a first-round exit to the Edmonton Oilers this year, prompting a return of the questions that have regularly been asked during GM Doug Wilson’s 14-year tenure running the franchise: Is this the summer major roster changes take place? Is it finally time for cornerstone forwards Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau to move on? What is it going to take to bring an NHL championship to northern California?
Before we get to those answers, let’s be clear – the Sharks’ loss to Edmonton wasn’t so much about the competitive failure of San Jose’s core as it was a product of the physical decimation of that core. Thornton was basically being carried around the ice by his desire to win as if it were an invisible Hodor from Game of Thrones and he were the Three-Eyed Raven. Logan Couture’s horrific injuries to his mouth looked like deleted scenes from The Knick. Marleau suffered a broken thumb near the end of the regular season, and Tomas Hertl was dealing with a broken foot.
All of which meant the Oilers – who deserve a lot of respect for exorcising their own organizational demons and winning their first post-season round since 2006 – weren’t exactly taking on a Sharks team that was at their very best. And San Jose’s health status has to be taken into consideration as a factor in why they fell in six first-round games. But here are some other undeniable facts: the Sharks were the league’s oldest team, with seven players older than age 30. In addition, San Jose finished the regular season 19th in goals-per-game average (2.67); only five teams had a less efficient power play than the Sharks’ 16.7 percent rating; and their penalty kill wasn’t any great shakes, either (tied for 16th overall at 80.7 percent).
In other words, although the Sharks made the playoffs for the 12th time in the past 13 seasons, there are signs of trouble. And what makes this particular off-season different – what makes it more likely than ever that Wilson makes significant change to his group of players – is that Thornton and Marleau both are unrestricted free agents. The veterans combined for a salary cap hit of more than $13.4 million in 2016-17, and considering San Jose already has $54.8 million tied up in contracts for 15 players next year, it’s far from a given Marleau and Thornton will both return.
In addition, the league’s looming expansion draft throws another wrinkle into Wilson’s ability to keep his team together. For instance, all seven defensemen currently on the Sharks’ roster are signed through 2017-18, but under NHL expansion guidelines, they can only protect three blueliners, one goalie and seven forwards – or, alternately, eight skaters and one goalie. That means Wilson will probably have to expose either a D-man such as David Schlemko or Justin Braun, or a forward such as Melker Karlsson. And that wouldn’t help their chances of keeping pace in the competitive Western Conference.
Wilson hasn’t been afraid to make bold moves before – remember his offer sheet to Chicago blueliner Niklas Hjalmarsson? – and maybe he and Las Vegas Golden Knights GM George McPhee work out a deal that gives the new club draft picks for not selecting a player Wilson wants to retain. But maybe there are bigger moves out there for him to make. Having the flexibility of not being forced to re-sign Marleau and Thornton could allow Wilson to re-stock for the future, rather than simply bring back both veterans at reduced rates and on much shorter terms.
We’re not talking about a full-on rebuild in San Jose. Employing talents such as Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, goalie Martin Jones and Couture means the Sharks can still expect to have a chance to win on a regular basis. But if Wilson is being honest with himself, he looks around and sees an Oilers team on the upswing, a Calgary Flames squad that won just one fewer game than San Jose, and an Anaheim Ducks team that still has a ton of firepower and talent. If the Sharks remain one of the league’s oldest groups, how much longer can they keep up? And is their first-round exit a harbinger of what’s to come?
Wilson has always been a patient man, but eventually, patience turns into wheel-spinning for frustrated fan bases. Sharks fans came within two wins of experiencing a Stanley Cup parade last year, but presuming the core that got them there will still be capable of doing so simply with better luck on the health front could be a mistake.
There are no guarantees either way, of course.
But for the first time in a long time, there’s serious uncertainty regarding the composition of the Sharks. There aren’t any no-trade clauses binding all the talent to the franchise whether management and ownership wants it or not. There’s a better-than-average chance another team values the contributions of Thornton or Marleau and pays them either more and/or for longer than Wilson is willing or able. That could be the trigger that results in Wilson making moves nobody expects.
It’s not exactly the end of an era in San Jose. But it sure feels like there’s the potential for the beginning of a notable makeover.
Blogger •NHL Columnist • 
Join the Discussion:
»